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Saturday, April 11, 2009

Now you all know about lunch-box recipes that I am trying to put up here .This was my last post about itDuporer tiffin khabar recipes .this is another day and some new recipes, a chorchori recipe, a teto(bitter) recipe and a simple fish curry , to go with warm cooked rice.

IngredientsHalf cabbage7-8 Seem or green Hyacinth bean ,it can be substituted with broad bean or snap peas which ever is availablePotato 1chopped1 tsp of panch phoron1 bay leaf3-4 tbs of mustard oil1 tsp of turmeric powder2 tsp of red pepper powder or you may add in green chilies/Serrano pepperSalt as per taste1 tsp of sugarMethodIn a saucepan add in 3-4 tbs of mustard oilTemper it with 1 tsp of panch phoron and 1 bay leafNow add in chopped seem you may add in whole, that gives a nice taste even.Now add in 1 tsp of turmeric powder, 2tsp of red pepper powder and salt as per taste.Add in cabbage, stirfry for few mints or till the masala is evenly coated over the cabbage leaves,Now add in 1tsp of suagr and little bit of water, cover and cook till potatoes are evenly cooked.You may add in 1 chopped tomato at this time, it adds that extra tanginess to the chorchori.

Neem begunWe all know how neem leaves are beneficial to our health.Bengalis always start their meal with Teto(bitter) and finish it off with sweet or chutney.Now visit this old post for the recipe of neem begun.

DalWash the lentil thoroughly in water.Now pressure cook the dal, make sure its’not mushy.In a separate saucepan, add 1 -2 tsp of mustardoil or any other oil ,temper it with 1 tsp of cumin seeds, 1 dry red pepper,1 bay leaf, 2 tsp of ginger paste or you may add in finely chopped fresh ginger.Now add in the dal/lentil, cook at low till all incorporate well.Add in 2 tsp of ghee or butter.You may add in some chopped coriander leaves.

Parshe macher jhalMarinate the parshe fish /mullet fish in turmeric powder and salt.Fry them in hot oil till brown and crsipNow add in little bit of extra mustard oil in that saucepan itself, 1 -2 cups of water, 1 tomato chopped, 1 tsp of turmeric powder and saltCover and cook at low for 5-7 mints .garnish with chopped coriander leaves and its ready to be served.Or this fish(mullet/parshe) can be made with mustard green chilly paste or shorshe parshe in Bengali as well .Just add in the mustard -green chilly paste at the end and take out in a bowl(adjust the hotness before you add in green chilly paste,add less red pepper powder or you may totally skip it .Do Not Heat or try to cook after adding mustard paste ,the fish curry will become bitter ,I am sure you dont want that.

Now something sweet on the eve of poila baishakSo thought of making Ranga Aloor pantua/a kind of gulab jamun, the recipe is from one of my old cookbook, written in Bengali and without any interesting graphics or picture, this book is a treasure of old, traditional and new recipes in Bengali.It says, after making pantua, you can serve it with home-made custard.But I guess pantuas taste good by themselves ,so we avoided having it with custard,but if you think you may prepare custard and serve with pantuas.

Ranga Aloor PantuaIt makes 14-15 pantuas out of 2 big sweet potatoesBoil them or pressure cook them.Peel the skinLet it cool out a bitAdd 2tsp of all purpose flour and few tbs of khoya ,I didn’t had any so added store brought kora paaker sandesh , that’s enough to knead them.let it sit there for half an hour.Now shape up small rounds from the dough and insert few boro elaich or cardamom seedsFry them to brown at a low flame, flipping the sidesMake sugar syrup meanwhile, in a deep bottom pan , add ½ cup of water and 1 cup of sugar , let it cook till the colour turns little golden yellow.Adjust the sweetness as per taste , add more for more sweetness.

Tip- since the sweet potato as such are sweet by nature ,its better to add less sugar while preparing the sugar syrup.please follow your instinct while preparing sugar syrup.Now fry the sweet potato pantua/gulab jamuns and dip them in sugar syrup.Have it as you prepare just like me or wait till it cools down, both the way it taste great

According to Bengali calender 15 April is 1st of baishak , all over people will be coming together to celebrate and enjoy the new year.

Wishing all my readers a very Happy Poila Baishak and Baisakhi .May the new year be peaceful and happy for you all.

Ramya,yeah simple is the key, because mornings are always busy ,dont have enough time to cook elaborate recipes...i try to fix something high on nutrition but should be quick and easy ..thanks for coming ..

Sra,do try sweet potato pantua, I am sure you will like it..

Vani,Cabbage bhaji is very much healthy and quick to make and thanks for liking pantuas..indeed they were very soft..we always start our meal with some bitter like steamed and mashed bitter gourd/potatoes/pumpkin etc ..and end on having chutneys/ambol in bengali ....That way it balances off..hugs and smiles